Sundance Review: “Last Days”

Last Days (Justin Lin, 2025) 2 out of 5 stars

If you didn’t hear about the death of John Allen Chau in 2018, you can probably imagine the discourse that followed. Chau was the 26-year-old evangelical missionary who was killed when he illegally travelled to North Sentinel Island in an attempt to convert the isolated tribe there to Christianity. In his first film post-Fast franchise, director Justin Lin ushers us into Chau’s story through the media reactions, some calling Chau a “martyr,” others deeming him an “idiot.” But while the gap between these two identities feels worth exploring, Last Days lacks the sense of perspective and focus it needs to offer anything new or noteworthy to the conversation.

The writing becomes the film’s greatest obstacle, taking several apparent creative liberties that ultimately detract from the story’s emotional core. While newcomer Sky Yang captures a sense of misguided optimism in Chau, he is overshadowed by the broad scope of the story. For example, there’s a massive focus on the Indian police investigation into Chau’s disappearance, but while there’s a likable character found in Radhika Apte’s performance as a rookie cop, it feels like a confusing detour from the central narrative. On the other hand, characters like John’s father (Ken Leung, Missing), who seem a more natural fit for the heart of the story, are completely underdeveloped in comparison.

While Last Days is a far cry from the absurd extravagance of the last few Fast movies, it deals in many of the same cliches and overly simplified montages that you’d more likely expect from your standard blockbuster than you would here. On the brighter side, some of these scenes allow for the better-looking visual moments in the film. Beyond that, however, John’s journey comes across as very standard, and little is offered in the way of commentary on his experiences, which range from missionary-training camp to his relationship with social media. The most thoughtful scene comes in the final moments, with a meaningful, well-edited sequence between John and his father that the film does little to deserve.

But the question remains: what is Last Days trying to say? It’s hard to tell whether the film is pro, against, or even neutral toward Chau. It ends up feeling at once a bit disrespectful toward Chau’s humanity and overly forgiving toward his motives. The 2023 National Geographic documentary, The Mission, directed by Boys State duo Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss, gives an imperfect but more nuanced insight into Chau’s life. The Mission feels more personal in its relationship to Chau, and its examination of how an impressionable young man can be manipulated and used by others (and organizations) is an angle that delivers greater impact.

Last Days’ journey from high-school graduation to Sentinelese shores is unable to offer answers, although offering answers is not within the framework of what it can or should do. However, offering some amount of emotional or logical understanding would give the film a more justified reason to exist. Because although there is no question that Justin Lin has talent, this film feels almost as lost as its central character. 

Hannah Tran

Hannah Tran is a filmmaker, writer, and friendly neighborhood barista from Las Vegas. She graduated from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in Film and English and is currently working on her first feature film. In her spare time, she can be found attending film festivals, running a local book club, and, of course, devouring as many movies as possible.